Mitigating impact of ion buildup on pH sensor performance

ABSTRACT

A self-vibrating pH probe comprise a housing containing an electronic assembly to which is coupled a vibration source element so that at least a portion of vibrations caused by the vibration source element propagate to the electronic assembly, the vibration source element being controllable for at least on/off operation. The self-vibrating pH probe further comprising a pH probe member having a probe tip at a first end, the probe member extending from the housing and mechanically and electrically coupled by a second end to the electronic assembly so that at least a portion of vibrations propagating to the electronic assembly further propagate to the probe tip; and further including a processor coupled to the electronic assembly for coordinating operation of the vibration source element and operation of the pH probe member.

BACKGROUND Field

The inventive embodiments described herein and depicted in theaccompanying figures generally relates to pH sensing.

Description of the Related Art

The inventive embodiments described herein and depicted in theaccompanying figures specifically relates to methods and systems forreducing ion buildup and/or impacts of ion buildup on a pH sensorthrough mechanical means, such as direct and indirect vibration.

When pH probes are deployed in a solution, the probe itself builds upone or more ion layers on its outer surface near the pH sensing tip thatimpact the probe's ability to obtain consistent and accuratemeasurements. These layers may generally be related to a level ofactivity in the solution being measured. When a solution remains still,or exhibits little movement relative to the probe, the ion depositionmay be most impactful. Movement of the solution around a pH sensor'selement tends to reduce the amount of ion buildup. However, the degreeof buildup that remains even with some movement of the solution may varysufficiently over time to impact pH sensing performance.

While movement of the solution can deter ion buildup, randomly agitatinga solution may likely negatively impact the pH probe's ability toconsistently and accurately measure pH since the agitation may occur atcritical times, such as when the pH in a solution is being measured.Therefore there remains a need of a pH probe that can consistentlymitigate the impact of ion layer buildup.

SUMMARY

Methods and systems of ion mitigation described herein and depicted inthe accompanying figures may facilitate mitigating impacts of ionbuildup when sensing pH with a probe, such as disturbances toelectrolytic media of the probe through probe-vibration induceddispersion of the ion buildup. Likewise, ion mitigation described hereinmay be accomplished by probe-proximal vibration of a solution beingprobed. Vibration may be direct, such as through contact vibration witha mechanical element attached to the probe. Vibration may be indirect,such as vibrating a housing of the probe, vibrating the solutionproximal to the probe tip, and the like.

Methods and systems of ion mitigation describe herein and depicted inthe accompanying figures may include a self-vibrating pH probe assembly,such as to mitigate disturbances to electrolytic media of the probe. Tofacilitate ion mitigation across a range of deployments and probeconstructions, a self-vibrating pH probe assembly may offer selectivevibration amplitude, selective vibration duration, selectivevibration-to-sample delay timing, and the like. A self-vibrating pHprobe may comprise an offset weight-rotary motor vibration sourceelement. Alternatively a piezoelectric vibration source element may beused. Any comparable type of vibration source may be adapted for use toprovide vibration for a self-vibrating probe.

Selective vibration operation may include at least one of vibrationamplitude, duration, sample delay and the like being adjustable throughuse of an algorithm that combines pH sample history with at least one ofamplitude, duration, and sample delay parameters associated with the pHsamples in the sample history. Such an algorithm may process samplehistory to determine at least a plurality of samples that are close invalue, such as within a tolerance band. A tolerance band may conform toa range of sample values, such as a set of at least a minimum and amaximum preferred pH value. Vibration history that correlates in time tothese samples may also be processed to determine vibration controlparameters, such as amplitude, duration, waveform shape, timing ofvibration relative to sampling, and the like. Parameters that appear tobe fairly consistent for sample values within the tolerance band may bemarked or saved as preferred vibration control parameters. Thisalgorithm is only exemplary. There are many other ways in whichvibration control parameters may be set and adjusted.

In another example of ion mitigation, a vibration source may be disposedproximal to the probe tip. Vibration control parameters, such asamplitude, duration, sample delay and the like may be based on aphysical relationship of the probe tip and the vibration source. If avibration source is disposed proximal to the probe tip in a solution,then amplitude may be reduced to avoid inadvertently impacting the probetip and/or causing excessive mechanical stress, and the like. If avibration source is disposed further away from the probe tip, thenamplitude may be increased. Similarly, for vibration sources that aredisposed close to a probe tip, delay from vibration to probe may bereduced compared to distal disposal of the vibration source. These aremerely examples of how a physical relationship between a vibrationsource and a probe time can impact vibration control parameters.

Methods and systems of ion mitigation for pH probing may include a meansof dispersing ion buildup on a tip of a pH probe by vibrating at leastone of (i) an electronic sensing module in mechanical communication withthe pH probe; (ii) a tip of a pH probe with a vibration inducing memberdisposed proximal to the pH sensing tip; (iii) a tip of a pH probe witha vibration inducing member disposed in contact with a house of asensing tip of the pH probe; (iv) solution proximal to the tip of the pHprobe with a vibration inducing member disposed proximal to the sensingtip of the pH probe.

Methods and systems of ion mitigation for pH probing may includedispersing ion build on a pH probe through sample-time activatedvibration of a pH probe. In an example of sample-time activatedvibration, information about sampling activity, such as frequency,inter-sample delay, sample duration, sample solution type, requiredaccuracy, required repeatability, and the like may be processed todetermine a time relationship between a vibration action and a pH sampleaction. As a general rule, delays from vibration should be sufficient toinsure that effects of vibration on pH sampling are minimized or atleast below a maximum impact value. Delays from vibration to sampleshould be short enough so that fresh ion buildup does not occur, isminimized, or at least is below a maximum buildup estimate by the timesampling is complete.

Methods and systems of ion mitigation for pH probing may includedispersing ion buildup on a pH probe tip through selective solutiondisturbance proximal to a pH probe time coordinated in time with pHsample via the probe. Coordination may be based on a range of factors,including a model of ion dispersion from the probe tip. Such a model maytake into consideration the type of probe material, probe sensing type,solution type or related parameters, such as viscosity and the like. Inan example, solution stability may take X seconds after disturbance.Sample time may prefer to be delayed for Y seconds after solutionstability. Sample duration may last Z seconds. Sample recovery timeafter completion of the sample duration to ensure residual impact on theprobe is acceptable may be A seconds. Therefore a total time fromvibration stop to vibration start may be X+Y+Z+A seconds.

Methods and systems of ion mitigation for pH probing may includecalculating at least one of duration, delay time, amplitude and periodfor a vibration event to vibrate at least one of a pH probe and asampling solution proximal to a tip of the pH probe based on at leasttwo pH samples, one taken before and another taken after the vibratingevent. Determining a difference between the two pH samples may indicatea degree of benefit provided by the vibration event. Generally, pHsensing should improve when performed in coordination with awell-calculated vibration control parameter set. If there is nosubstantive difference in the before and after vibration pH samples,then amplitude, duration, vibration shape, period, and a range of otherparameters may be adjusted. Samples and vibration may be repeated whiletracking both sample values and vibration control parameters with thegoal of determining which vibration profile, or a range of vibrationprofiles provides for improved pH sampling. Further refinement may bepossible using a comparable approach, perhaps with smaller adjustmentsin parameters and/or adjusting fewer parameters to facilitatecalculating vibration control parameters that provide for consistentlyimproved pH sampling.

Methods and systems of ion mitigation for pH probing may include adevice adapted to vibrate at least one of a pH probe and a solutionproximal to the probe tip, the device vibrating in response to a signalreceived. The signal maybe received from the pH probe, another devicethat may coordinate vibration and pH sampling activities, and the like.The device may vibrate in response to the signal and at least one of ameasure of ion buildup on the probe tip detectable by the device, anestimate of ion buildup on the probe tip, a time duration between signalreception, a user preference, and the like. The signal may indicate atleast one of vibration duration, vibration amplitude, vibration starttime, target of vibration (tip or solution), a stop time of vibration, aperiod of no vibration, and the like.

Methods and system of ion buildup dispersal from a pH probe tip mayinclude a self-vibrating pH probe that includes a housing containing anelectronic assembly adapted to support detecting pH of an environment. Avibration source is disposed relative to the electronic assembly so thatat least a portion of vibrations caused by the vibration sourcepropagate to the electronic assembly, the vibration source beingcontrollable for at least on/off operation. The self-vibrating pH probefurther including a pH probe member having a probe tip at a first end,the probe member extending from the housing and mechanically andelectrically coupled by a second end to the electronic assembly so thatat least a portion of vibrations propagating to the electronic assemblyfurther propagate to the probe tip. The self-vibrating pH probe alsoincluding a processor coupled to the electronic assembly adapted tocoordinate operation of the vibration source and operation of the pHprobe member. Coordinating operation of the vibration source includescontrolling vibration amplitude. Coordinating operation of the vibrationsource includes controlling a vibration profile. Coordinating operationof the vibration source and operation of the pH probe member includescontrolling when the vibration source is activated relative to when asample of pH is taken by the pH probe. The processor may use analgorithm for controlling vibration produced by the vibration source.The algorithm facilitates adjusting at least one of vibration amplitude,vibration duration, delay between vibration and pH sampling by theprocessor. The self-vibrating pH probe vibration source may be apiezoelectric device, a MEMS device, an ultrasonic device, anoffset-weight rotary device and the like. Coordinating operation of thevibration source includes calculating at least one of a duration, delaytime, amplitude, and period for the vibrating.

Methods and system of ion buildup dispersal from a pH probe may includea method of dispersing ion buildup that may impact a pH probe comprisingcontrolling a vibration source to cause vibration of a portion of the pHprobe through direct coupling of the vibration element with a structuralportion of the pH probe; wherein the vibration source is controlled by aprocessor that further controls pH sampling of a medium that is incontact with the portion of the pH probe. In this method, the processorexecutes a vibration control algorithm to control the vibration source,the algorithm comprising determining at least two controllable aspectsof the vibration source selected from the list consisting of amplitude,oscillation frequency, duration, period, start time, stop time, delaybetween the stop time and the start time. Further in this method,vibrations produced by the vibration source occur synchronously withsampling the medium. In this further method, a delay between thevibrations and sampling the medium is determined by the processor inresponse to a class of the sampling medium. Yet further in this method avibration control profile is determined by the processor in response toa class type classification of the sample medium. Still yet further inthis method, a delay between the vibrations and sampling the medium isgreater than a minimum predefined pre-sample delay. In this method thereis a configurable offset between operation of the vibrating source andsampling of the pH of the medium.

Methods and system of ion buildup dispersal from a probe, a portion ofwhich is immersed in a medium may include a method of dispersing ionbuildup on a probe comprising vibrating the medium that is in contactwith the portion of the probe with a vibration element that causesvibration of the medium proximal to the immersed portion of the probethrough immersion of a portion of the vibration element in the mediumand causing the vibration element to produce vibrations; whereinvibrations caused by the vibration element is controlled by a processorthat further controls sampling of the medium via at least one sensordisposed at the immersed portion of the probe. In this method,vibrations produced by the vibration element occur synchronously withsampling the medium. In this method, a delay between the vibrations andsampling the medium is determined by the processor in response to aclass of the sampling medium. In this method, a vibration controlprofile is determined by the processor in response to a class typeclassification of the sample medium. In this method, a delay betweenvibrations produced by the vibration element and sampling the medium isgreater than a minimum predefined pre-sample delay.

These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and advantages ofthe present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and thedrawings.

All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated in their entiretyby reference. References to items in the singular should be understoodto include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly statedotherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intendedto express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations ofconjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwisestated or clear from the context.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The disclosure and the following detailed description of certainembodiments thereof may be understood by reference to the followingfigures:

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a self-vibrating pH probe;

FIG. 2 depicts a pH probe with several optional vibrating elementplacements;

FIG. 3 depicts a timing chart of various vibration pulse durations,periods, and shapes;

FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart of vibration calibration and setup;

FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart of vibration and pH sample timing; and

FIG. 6 depicts a vibration control table indexed by solutionclassification type.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1 , which depicts an embodiment of a self-vibrating pHprobe, various elements of the self-vibrating probe are depicted. Anexemplary pH probe, as depicted in FIG. 1 may include a housing 100 thatmay enclose operational elements of the probe, such as a printed circuitboard (PCB) 104 or equivalent on which electronic components, such asprocessor analog-to-digital converter, and the like may beinterconnected to facilitate electronic communication there between. Thehousing may couple the PCB 104 with a probe that terminates in a probetip 106. In the example of FIG. 1 , the PCB 104 may be mechanicallycoupled to the probe so that vibrations of the PCB 104 will propagate tothe probe tip 106. To accomplish vibration of the probe tip 106 in thisembodiment, a vibration source 102, such as a piezoelectric vibrator, anoscillating mechanical vibrator, an offset-weight rotary vibrator, MEMs,ultrasonic vibrator or the like may be configured so that vibrationsproduced by the vibration source propagates to at least one of the PCB104 and the housing. Configuring the vibration source to facilitatepropagating vibrations to at lest the PCB 104 may include mechanicallysecuring the vibration source 102 to the PCB 104. The vibration source102 may be operable by a processor, such as a processor mounted to thePCB 104 to perform various vibration modes, including pulse,ramp-up/ramp-down, oscillating, on/off vibration and the like.

In practice, activating the vibration source 102 will cause the PCB 104on which it is mounted to vibrate. Elements coupled to the PCB 104, suchas the probe and it's accompanying probe tip 106, would responsivelyvibrate. By activating the vibration source 102, the pH probe tip 106would also vibrate, thereby contributing to mitigation of ion buildup onthe probe tip 106, such as to avoid disturbances to electrolytic mediaof the probe.

Referring to FIG. 2 that depicts alternate embodiments of aself-vibrating probe, a vibration source may be disposed in a variety ofpositions. Probe housing 200 may be mechanically coupled to the probetip 216 so that vibration of the probe housing 200 may propagate to theprobe tip 216 such that ion buildup on the probe tip 216 may bedispersed by the vibration. A vibration source may be disposed in avariety of positions relative to the probe body 200. In one embodiment,a vibration source 202 may be disposed on an end of the probe body 200,such as an end distal from the probe tip 216. The end-mounted vibrationsource 202 may be in communication with a processor of the probe 200, soas to enable coordinated control of vibration and sampling as describedelsewhere herein. In alternate embodiment, a vibration source 204 may bedisposed on a side of the probe body 200. This configuration mayfacilitate retrofitting existing probes. A side-mounted vibration source204 may be controlled through wired or wireless connection, such as aconnection to a processor of the probe 200. Alternatively, top-mountedprobe 202 and/or side mounted probe 204 may communicate wirelessly witha separate computing device that also facilitates coordinating vibrationand sampling.

Alternate embodiments of a self-vibrating pH probe may include mountinga vibration source 206 to an outer surface of the probe tip 216, such ason a side surface as depicted in FIG. 2 . Vibrations resulting from anyof the vibration sources 202, 204, 206 and other similarly mountedvibration sources may cause the probe tip 216 to vibrate within asolution in which the probe tip 216 is disposed. The resulting vibrationof the probe tip 216, which is depicted in FIG. 2 by element 214, maycause the buildup of ions on the probe tip 216 to disperse into thesolution being probed. In the example embodiment of FIG. 2 , thevibration source 206 may be connected via wiring to a control system ofthe probe 200. This may include being in communication with a vibrationand sample control circuit, such as a processor or the like of the probe200.

In yet an alternate embodiment, a vibration source 208 may be disposedproximal to, but not in contact with the probe tip 216. The embodimentof FIG. 2 depicts this vibration source 208 being attached to the probe200, such as through a semi-rigid connection that facilitates stabledeployment of this vibration probe 208 in proximity to the probe tip216. In this embodiment, the vibration source 206 may cause the solutionproximal to the probe tip 216 to effect a probed solution disturbance212 that may cause the solution that is in contact with the probe tip tocontribute to dispersion of ion buildup on the probe tip 216.

Referring to FIG. 3 that depicts various vibration cycle types, shapes,durations, amplitudes and delays relative to a sample event. In general,vibration may be controlled so that there is at least a minimum delayafter a sample event before vibration resumes. This after-sample delay302 may be predefined, automatically determined, adjusted based onsample activity, and the like. The after-sample delay 302 may bedetermined from a start of a sample event, from an end of a sampleevent, or from a point of time between the start and end of the sampleevent. The general goal of such as delay is to ensure that samplingactivity is complete so that vibration of the pH probe (e.g., tip,electronic controller, housing, and the like) will not adversely impactthe sampling event or the processing of data collected during the sampleevent. Vibration occurring to close to a sample event may causeinadvertent changes in pH probe accuracy, for example.

There may be a variety of vibration profiles, including a vibrationspike 312 in which a vibration element may be activated and then shortlythereafter deactivated, thereby generating a pulse of vibration topropagate throughout the probe and/or through the solution based on alocation of the vibration element at the time of activation. A vibrationspike 312 may be useful for periodic dispersion of ion build up whilemitigating the potential for damage caused by more aggressive vibratingover and over.

Other vibration profiles may include a block vibration 314 that maypersist for a variable duration, such as block vibration duration 306 asdepicted in the embodiment of FIG. 3 . The duration, amplitude, andother controllable characteristics of a block vibration 314 event may bepredefined, configurable, automatically determined, and the like. Blockvibration events 314 may be useful to cause a sustained period ofvibration of a pH probe tip and/or a solution proximal to the tip. Theblock vibration duration 306 may be varied over time to cause a degreeof randomness to the vibration events. Shortening and/or lengthening theblock vibration duration 306 may beneficially effect ion dispersion.Additionally, varying the block vibration duration 306 may be useful incausing disturbance in the buildup of ion deposition by impacting thebuildup at different times and for different lengths of time. Blockvibration 314 may be a default vibration profile that may be adjustedover time based on analysis of pH samples, and the like. In an example,default block vibration duration 306 may be reduced for a range ofsample events. Data from the reduced vibration sample events may becompared to data from the default vibration sample events. If thechanges in sample data are not significant, such as falling within asample tolerance range, reduced vibration may continue to be used toaccomplish acceptable pH sampling with less vibration, which likelyreduces energy consumption, may prolong a self-vibrating probe life, andthe like.

An alternate vibration profile may include a sequenced vibration event316. In such an event, a series of smaller scale block vibration eventsmay be strung together into a single sequenced vibration event 316. Thequantity of block vibrations and/or the total block burst vibration time308 from the start of a first block vibration to the end of a last blockvibration may be predefined, configured by a user, adjusted based onlearning through machine learning techniques, and the like. Generallysmaller amplitude vibration may have lower impact of distal points of aprobe or the like. Therefore, such a vibration profile may be a defaultfor vibration sources that are intended to be disposed proximal to aprobe tip.

Time between vibration events and/or between a vibration event and asample event may also be predefined, configurable and the like. In theexample of FIG. 3 , after-sample delay 302, inter vibration event pause304 and pre-sample delay 310 may each be configured as distinct defaultvalues that get adjusted over time, for specific deployments, forspecific probe types, for specific solution types, based on samplerepeatability, and the like. Generally pre-sample delay 310 may be setso that any residual vibration effect, such as movement of a solutionbeing sampled, is effectively minimized during the delay 310. Pre-sampledelay 310 may be configured so that vibration impact is reduced, forexample by at least 30 dB, to effect approximately an 87% reduction invibration activity. Pre-sample delay 310 may be configured based on amodel of vibration dampening for various vibration profiles, pH probes,solutions, and combinations thereof. In an example, a high amplitudeblock vibration profile 314 may impact such a vibration dampening modelso that pre-sample vibration time 310 produced by the model will likelybe greater than for a lower amplitude block vibration or spike vibrationprofile. Therefore, a system configured with flexible vibration sourcemechanisms, location, vibration profile, inter-vibration delays,amplitude and the like may facilitate configuring a universalself-vibrating probe that can be configured for a wide range ofdeployments.

Referring to FIG. 4 that depicts a calibration flow chart, vibration maybe calibrated and setup. A general flow for vibration calibration mayinclude a step of determining if vibration parameters could benefit frombeing adjusted 402. This step may be followed by a step of determiningwhat parameters to adjust, adjusting at least those vibration parametersand performing a vibration event based on the adjusted vibrationparameters 404. This step may be followed by a sampling event step 406during which pH or some other aspect is measured, such as a measure ofion buildup or a measure of vibration of a pH probe time and the like.This step may be followed by step 402 to determine if vibrationparameters might benefit from further adjustment.

Determining if vibration parameters need adjustment at step 402 mayinclude processing a plurality of variables including, withoutexception: time since last vibration event, type of solution beingsampled (certain aspects of the solution may be of significance, such asdegree of movement, chemistry, and the like), whether vibration isenabled for this deployment, the time until a next sample event, ionbuildup sensing (if available), previous pH sample value, expected pHsample value or range of values, and the like. Interdependencies of someof these variables, such as the degree of solution movement and the timeto next sample may also need to be considered when determining what, ifany vibration control parameters to adjust. A model of vibration controlthat takes into consideration most, if not all of these and potentiallyother parameters may be at the center of this process so that feedbackfrom sources, such as timers, pH sensors, vibration feedback sensors,ion sensors and the like may be integrated into the model.

Step 404 may include determining which parameters to adjust based on,for example an output from step 402 that indicates that one or moreparameters may benefit from adjustment. Once one or more vibrationcontrol parameters are targeted for adjustment, existing vibrationcontrol parameters, such as without limitation: amplitude, duration,profile, period, stop/stop trigger source and status, feedback, time tonext sample, and others may be evaluated. The vibration control modelmay be used to determine a potential impact of adjusting the one or moretargeted vibration control parameters. The potential impact may beevaluated and an updated set of vibration control parameters can beapplied to a vibration event.

Step 406 may be triggered at the end of the vibration event, which mayinclude a post-vibration delay period. The calibration loop of steps402, 404, and 406 may be repeated at initial deployment, at presenttimes during operation, after a number of pH sample events, and thelike.

Referring to FIG. 5 , that depicts a flow diagram, methods and systemsfor use of a self-vibrating pH probe are depicted. Sampling pH may becoordinated with vibration of the pH probe tip or the solution proximalto the probe tip to effect a reduction in ion buildup that may interferewith pH sensing. A basic sequence consisting of vibration steps andsensing steps may be configured to gain the benefit of mitigating animpact of ion deposition during pH sensing. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a processor evaluates various parameters, including fixed, variable,and time-dependent parameters related to pH sensing with aself-vibrating pH sensor or the equivalent in step 502 to determine ifvibration should be performed. An algorithm that may be executed by theprocessor may include calculating an elapsed time since the lastvibration event. By recording a time stamp for each vibration event andreferencing a time keeping source, the algorithm may determine how muchtime has elapsed since the last vibration event. Depending on the degreeof detail needed, this elapsed time may be calculated in seconds, someportion thereof (e.g., milliseconds, and the like), or some unit of timegreater than a second.

Determining if vibration should be performed may result in a decision toperform vibration; however it may result in a decision to not performvibration. Either or both of these decisions may be stored along with atime stamp to keep track of when such vibration event decisions aremade. This may allow for overriding a future decision that would resultin vibration not being performed. As an example, if an amount of timesince the last actual vibration event exceeds a threshold, even when anassessment of the conditions for deciding on executing vibration resultsin a decision to not perform vibration, if this threshold is exceeded,vibration may be performed. In this way, if a condition that indicatesvibration should not be performed persists, potentially resulting inimpactful ion buildup, this maximum time between vibration events mayfacilitate activating vibration as a default action.

A calculation of if vibration should be performed can also produce ananticipated time for when vibration may be beneficial. In an example ofthis embodiment, through the use of time stamping each vibration event,basic functions such as average, maximum, median, minimum and the likecould be applied to the data to predict various time-based parametersfor a next vibration event. This information may be useful whendetermining if a vibration event should occur. It may also be useful indetermining if a current time since last vibration event is out ofbounds, such as if it is shorter than a minimum or longer than a maximumcalculated from stored vibration event time-stamp data.

The step of deciding if vibration should occur may also includeprocessing other parameters than time. Parameters that may be processedmay include a sampling solution type. This may be helpful in determiningwhen a vibration event should occur because different types of solutionmay react differently to vibration events. The amount of time from whena vibration event ends to when the solution would be stable enough to besampled could vary based on the density of the solution. This parametermay be interrelated with vibration profile, vibration elementpositioning, and the like as described elsewhere herein. Anotherparameter that vibration event decision step 502 may process is ifvibration is enabled for this sampling activity. While vibration maygenerally be beneficial to dispersing ion buildup on a pH probe tip.There may be times, such as during cleaning, calibration, and the like,when vibration may simply not be desired. These times may bepreconfigured (e.g., at the end of a pH sampling cycle), determinedbased on other conditions (e.g., when new solution is being added), andthe like.

Yet another parameter that may be processed when determining if avibration event should occur may include an amount of time remaininguntil the next pH sample event. This information may be determined bycomparing a current time to a stored next pH sample time. The differencewould generally indicate an amount of time until the next sample event.This information may be useful in that vibrating to far ahead of thenext sample event may result in ion buildup occurring again before thenext sample event. Vibrating too close to a sample event may cause thesampling to occur while ion buildup is being dispersed, but has not yetstabilized, or even worse, while vibration overlaps sampling.

Factors such as solution activity level, which may be sensed orpredefined, may also impact a decision of if and/or when to activate avibration event. When a solution activity level, which may be comparableto turbulence, or rate of flow is high, ion buildup is mitigated.Therefore, vibration may be performed less often or may be disableddepending on the degree the activity level. When a solution activitylevel is low, self-vibration may be performed at least prior to eachsample event and may be performed more the once between sample events.Vibration may be performed even when a sample event is not scheduled sothat the ion buildup on the pH probe tip remains under control. If ionbuildup sensing is available, data from such as sensor may be utilizedwhen determining when or if vibration should be performed.

When vibration is determined in step 502 to not be performed, controlmay be passed to an algorithm in step 510 that may check parameters foroverriding a decision to not perform vibration. Described above are afew examples, such as exceeding a threshold of time since a lastvibration event, and the like when overriding a decision to not vibratemay make sense.

If the result of vibration event decision step 502 or the override step510 indicates that vibration should be performed, control may be passedto a vibration event step 504. A vibration event may be configured andperformed in step 504. Vibration control parameters, such as vibrationamplitude, vibration duration, vibration profile, vibration period,vibration element position, vibration type (e.g., direct, indirect, orsolution-based), presence/absence of a vibration trigger (e.g., aphysical signal that can be sensed and/or a logical signal that can berepresented by a data value), various feedback sensing data (e.g., ionbuildup amount, solution turbidity), time to next sample event, and thelike may be sampled. A control set for a vibration event may be capturedand stored in a memory that is accessible to a vibration controlapplication that uses the captured and stored data to perform thevibration event.

If, at step 502 and 510 vibration is not to be performed, pH probesensing time is evaluated. Simply comparing a current time to a nextsample time may perform this. Sample times may be periodic, highlyrandom, and/or impacted by external events or triggers. Similarly to therange of time-related factors that are described above for deciding ifand when to vibrate, sample time-related factors may be processed insample time evaluation step 506. If, a result of processing sample timefactors results in a call to perform a sample event, control may bepassed to the sample and store step 508. If the result of processingsample time related factors indicates that it is not time to sample,control may be passed back to the vibration decision step 502.

After a vibration event is complete, pH sampling and data storage may beperformed in step 508. The entire cycle of vibration event decision,optional vibrating, and sampling may be repeated.

Referring to FIG. 6 in which is depicted a table of vibration value,vibration control parameters may be organized by pH sampling solutionclass. In the embodiment of FIG. 6 , various exemplary solution classesare listed in a first column of a vibration mode control table. For eachtype of solution class, parameters to facilitate selection of anappropriate vibration control set are made available. In this example, arecommended or predefined vibration profile for a solution class A1 is apulse type vibration profile. Also recommended by the content in thistable for a solution class A1 is a vibration amplitude that is no morethan 75% of maximum. Sample delay of 3 seconds before sample and atleast 1 second after sample and a pH range of 3 to 6. These exemplaryvalues are merely illustrative and not meant to represent an actualdeployment of the methods and systems described herein. Further in theexample of FIG. 6 , the last entry in the table indicates that solutionclass K does not require vibration; therefore entries for amplitude andsample delay are marked as N/A. Although the table shows a value of N/A,it may be possible that this value is actually a digital value in arange, such as 0% to 100% for Amplitude and 0.1 to 50 for sample delay.However, a pH range may still be specified.

While the disclosure has been disclosed in connection with the preferredembodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications andimprovements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled inthe art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present disclosure isnot to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood inthe broadest sense allowable by law.

What is claimed is:
 1. A self-vibrating pH probe comprising: a housingcontaining an electronic assembly adapted to support detecting pH of anenvironment; a vibration source disposed so that at least a portion ofvibrations caused by the vibration source propagate to the electronicassembly, the vibration source being controllable for at least on/offoperation; a pH probe member having a probe tip at a first end, theprobe member extending from the housing and mechanically andelectrically coupled by a second end to the electronic assembly so thatat least a portion of vibrations propagating to the electronic assemblyfurther propagate to the probe tip; and a processor coupled to theelectronic assembly and adapted to coordinate operation of the vibrationsource and operation of the pH probe member including controlling whenthe vibration source is activated relative to when a sample of pH istaken by the pH probe.
 2. The probe of claim 1, wherein coordinatingoperation of the vibration source comprises controlling a vibrationamplitude.
 3. The probe of claim 1, wherein coordinating operation ofthe vibration source comprises controlling a vibration profile.
 4. Theprobe of claim 1, wherein at least one of vibration amplitude, vibrationduration, or a delay between vibration and pH sampling is adjusted bythe processor using an algorithm for controlling producing vibration bythe vibration source.
 5. The probe of claim 1, wherein the vibrationsource comprises a piezoelectric device.
 6. The probe of claim 1,wherein the vibration source comprises an offset-weight rotary device.7. The probe of claim 1, wherein coordinating operation of the vibrationsource comprises calculating at least one of a duration, delay time,amplitude, and period for the vibrating.
 8. A method of dispersing ionbuildup on a pH probe comprising controlling a vibration source to causevibration of a portion of the pH probe through direct coupling of thevibration source with a structural portion of the pH probe; whereinvibrating the vibration source is controlled by a processor relative towhen the processor controls pH sampling of a medium that is in contactwith the portion of the pH probe.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein theprocessor executes a vibration control algorithm to control thevibration source, the algorithm comprising determining at least twocontrollable aspects of the vibration source selected from the listconsisting of amplitude, oscillation frequency, duration, period, starttime, stop time, and delay between the stop time and the start time. 10.The method of claim 8, wherein vibrations produced the vibration sourceoccur synchronously with sampling the medium.
 11. The method of claim10, wherein a delay between producing vibrations with the vibratingsource and sampling the medium is determined by the processor inresponse to a class of the medium.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein avibration control profile is determined by the processor in response toa class type classification of the medium.
 13. The method of claim 10,wherein a delay between the produced vibrations and sampling the mediumis greater than a minimum predefined pre-sample delay.
 14. The method ofclaim 10, wherein there is a configurable offset between operation ofthe vibrating source and sampling of the pH of the medium.
 15. A methodof dispersing ion buildup on a probe, a portion of which is immersed ina medium, the method comprising vibrating the medium that is in contactwith the probe with a vibration element that causes vibration of themedium proximal to an immersed portion of the probe through immersion ofa portion of the vibration element in the medium and vibrating thevibration element; wherein vibrations produced by the vibration elementare controlled by a processor that further controls sampling of themedium via at least one sensor disposed in the medium, wherein theprocessor further controls activating the vibration element relative tosampling of the medium.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein vibrationsproduced by the vibration element occur synchronously with sampling themedium.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein a delay between vibrationsproduced by the vibrating element and sampling the medium is determinedby the processor in response to a classification of the medium.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, wherein a vibration control profile is determined bythe processor in response to a class type classification of the medium.19. The method of claim 16, wherein a delay between the vibrations andsampling the medium is greater than a minimum predefined pre-sampledelay.